When I was in second grade we held elections for Class Representative for my elementary school student council. I decided to go for it because what second grader doesn't like government, right? Well, ten years later I was graduating high school as the secretary of my senior class in my tenth year in student government.

I truly believe that student council helped me become the person I am today; between learning to formulate my own opinion, becoming a leader, and learning how to blend everyone's ideas, I received an immense amount of skills. Student government gave me the opportunity to have a say in my high school career. I didn't just show up to events, I had already been there for three hours setting up and after weeks of planning it with my council members. It was truly one of the most rewarding experiences I had in all of my time in school. I loved seeing the reaction of my classmates when they walked into school on a pep rally day and saw the entire hallway decorated and all their names neatly printed over a locker. I loved watching my friends walk into our senior prom and smile, knowing that the months of planning had paid off. The hours spent after school designing posters, organizing fundraisers and counting prom deposits all became worth it the second one person told me how much they loved what we had done. Sometimes people don't even realize the work that goes into these projects and they forget that someone actually took the time to organize these events.

Student Council is a collective effort and you can't get anything done without an amazing team of driven individuals. That being said, getting ten intensely driven and opinionated teenagers in a room together and forcing them to agree on a topic is definitely risky. But when you have the right discuss these disagreements then tense moments just melt away when you get to stand with them and look at all the work you've accomplished. I have always had great experience's with my council and I wouldn't trade anything for the late nights in the school hallways frantically stringing streamers across ceiling tiles.

I have shown up to school looking absolutely insane, covered head to toe in spirit gear, and throwing t-shirts into bleachers. Through it all, I had the pleasure of watching my class come together, even for just one day. Knowing that I even played the smallest role in this makes everything worth it. Everyone deserves to feel like they had a say in high school and I believe that student government allows you the highest level of involvement.